“He will not attend this school unless they are having readin', writin' and 'rithmetic, good old-fashioned academics. When they're having forums, when they're having other extra curricular activities, he will not attend that school. ... The taxpayer is paying for him to learn his academics as well as the other students and I am not standing for any of this stuff.”http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/nov...-out-of-school

UPDATED 12:05 p.m. Monday
Students at Forest Heights Community School in Chester Grant are discussing religious beliefs and freedom of speech today, but William Swinimer, the student who sparked the debate, isn't part of that discussion.
His father, John Swinimer, pulled him out of the school when he arrived this morning following a five-day suspension for wearing a T-shirt that said Life is Wasted Without Jesus.
John Swinimer said neither his son nor his daughter will return while such debates are going on.
“He will not attend this school unless they are having readin', writin' and 'rithmetic, good old-fashioned academics. When they're having forums, when they're having other extra curricular activities, he will not attend that school. ... The taxpayer is paying for him to learn his academics as well as the other students and I am not standing for any of this stuff.”
William Swinimer showed up at school this morning wearing the yellow T-shirt that has garnered him national attention, but moments later his father angrily strode across the school parking lot, waved his copy of The New Testament at the media, and told them he's pulling his son out of school.
John Swinimer accused the school district and the province of being anti-Christian, and said his three children have been bullied at the school because of their beliefs.
When asked what's wrong with having his son take part in the debate, John Swinimer said, “It is time that we rise up. I am not taking questions right now. I am making statements.”
When another reporter asked him if he intends to pull William out of school permanently, or just while the discussions are being held, he said, “I'm making a statement here, I'm not answering questions. ... If you overstep my boundaries I'm going to get in the car and leave,” which he did a short time later with his son in the front passenger seat.
The 19-year-old, who has done national media interviews and whose story has been broadcast across North America, had no comment.
“As a parent, I'm making this decision,” John Swinimer said.
School board superintendent Nancy Pynch-Worthylake said she is “very disappointed” William Swinimer will not take part in the discussions today. The voluntary discussions involve facilitators from the education and justice departments, human rights commission, school board and the school.
“We had hoped William could be a part of that and could understand that there is a lot of empathy, that there is tolerance in this school, and that we would like to be able to move beyond this,” said school board chairwoman Judith Sullivan-Corney, who showed up at the school this morning to offer her support to students and staff.
Grade 10 student Riley Gibb-Smith said the situation is about far more than a T-shirt slogan.
“This thing never was about a shirt. ... He's telling kids they'll burn in hell if they don't confess themselves to Jesus, he's said that,” Riley said
He is an exchange student from Australia and said Swinimer approached him on his third day at his new school. He said Swinimer frequently preaches to kids and won't stop when they tell him they've had enough.
Student council vice-president Katelyn Hiltz said she fully supports the school suspending Swinimer after he had been told repeatedly that some students were upset by his proselytizing and found his shirt offensive.
“I mean, a school is a place to feel safe and welcome and comfortable and if he's going to make them feel their life is wasted without Jesus, they're not going to feel comfortable, and they're not going to feel welcome, they're not going to feel safe, so they're just not going to want to be here anymore.”
Katelyn said the situation has needlessly hurt the school and distracted students who are writing advanced placement exams today.

“He will not attend this school unless they are having readin', writin' and 'rithmetic, good old-fashioned academics. When they're having forums, when they're having other extra curricular activities, he will not attend that school. ... The taxpayer is paying for him to learn his academics as well as the other students and I am not standing for any of this stuff.”http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/nov...-out-of-school

Interesting point. These are high school students, many of whom are presumably still in the process of growing their pair.

(It kind of surprises me that the kid is 19, actually, although I don't know how school is set up in Canada)

__________________
"The human mind is seldom satisfied, and is not justifiable by any natural process whatsoever, as regards geometry, our universe differs only slightly from a long-term, bi-directional, single trait selection experiment." -- Maxwell/Einstein/Johansson

Right on! Was he suspended by his ankles or his thumbs. Oh no. I suppose that would only apply to a student wearing a T shirt saying "There is no God and if there was he would be disgusting" in a religious college.

Right on! Was he suspended by his ankles or his thumbs. Oh no. I suppose that would only apply to a student wearing a T shirt saying "There is no God and if there was he would be disgusting" in a religious college.

I tried deciphering the above, and still can't make heads or tails of the message intended.

I tried deciphering the above, and still can't make heads or tails of the message intended.

I was just being flipant and playing with the meaning of suspended which also means hung up, as in suspended from a hook. So then I was suggesting that a man wearing a Jesus T shirt should be hung up but then there is the problem of by what.

It was no more than a mild joke. I actually believe everyone should have the right to wear a Jesus T shirt even if I do find it distasteful.

If the shirt had said Allah (or any other deity) instead of Jesus, nothing would have been said.

__________________Yeshayahu 9:7 Of the increase of His rule and peace there is no end, upon the throne of David and over His reign, to establish it and sustain it with justice and with righteousness from now on, even forever. The ardour of יהוה of hosts does this.

I was just being flipant and playing with the meaning of suspended which also means hung up, as in suspended from a hook. So then I was suggesting that a man wearing a Jesus T shirt should be hung up but then there is the problem of by what.

It was no more than a mild joke. I actually believe everyone should have the right to wear a Jesus T shirt even if I do find it distasteful.